For decades, residents of Kano Plains lived with a familiar and painful reality. Whenever River Nyando overflowed its banks or Lake Victoria’s backflow inundated villages, the cry was always the same: “Sirikal saidia!”
Homes were destroyed. Farms disappeared under water. Schools closed. Families were displaced. Livelihoods were washed away.
Today, that narrative is beginning to change.
The Government is implementing long-term flood mitigation infrastructure aimed at protecting lives, restoring livelihoods, and unlocking the economic potential of one of Kenya’s most productive agricultural regions.
At the centre of this effort is the West Kano–Kanyagwal Flood Control Project in Kadibo Sub-County, Kisumu County, being implemented by the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (NWHSA).
The project seeks to reclaim nearly 7,000 hectares of flood-affected land through the construction of a 3.5-kilometre flood protection dyke, rehabilitation of drainage systems, installation and upgrading of high-capacity pumping infrastructure, and environmental stabilization through grassing and tree planting.
A community footbridge has also been constructed to ensure residents maintain safe movement and connectivity during periods of high water levels.
The impact extends far beyond flood control.
The intervention is protecting the 2,230-acre West Kano Irrigation Scheme, safeguarding the livelihoods of nearly 1,000 farmers who have for years suffered devastating crop losses due to flooding.
Families that once depended on emergency relief and temporary shelters now have an opportunity to rebuild permanent homes with greater confidence and security.
Critical public infrastructure including schools, health facilities, markets, roads, and places of worship in vulnerable areas such as Kanduru, Kajowi, Wachiegwe, and Karagwel also stand to benefit from the enhanced protection.
The project further complements broader Lake Basin development initiatives by linking with the upstream LBDA dyke system while protecting strategic investments such as the Kabonyo-Kanyagwal Fisheries Centre.
As climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, investments of this nature are becoming increasingly important. They are not merely engineering projects; they are investments in resilience, food security, economic productivity, and human dignity.
For the people of Kano Plains, success will not be measured by the length of the dyke alone, but by children remaining in school, farmers harvesting their crops, businesses operating uninterrupted, and families no longer living in fear every rainy season.
That is the true value of flood control infrastructure.
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